04 RAM

Question 1

What information do you need to determine before upgrading the RAM on a computer?

Answer 1

You need to determine what type of RAM the motherboard accepts, what is the max amount of ram the motherboard can handle, how many slots are on the motherboard. Refer to the motherboard book or search for information about the computer, laptop etc. online to determine this.

Question 2

What is the benefit of upgrading the RAM on a computer?

Answer 2

Makes the system run a lot faster and more efficiently.

Question 3

How do you install ram properly on a computer?

Answer 3

You need to make sure that all the ram chips are the same capacity (gigabytes), the same speed, and the same type on a single channel. (If a RAM chip is a different type, usually it will not fit.)

Question 4

What is an easy way to learn what type of ram is on a system unit, including What capacity and speed it is without opening the system unit?

Answer 4

Use CPU-Z software to display this information on the screen.

Question 5

What is an easy way to check if you installed RAM properly?

Answer 5

Click start, right click on computer and choose system. The window will display the amount of RAM on the system, which should match up with what you know to have been installed.

Question 6

What kinds of problems arise if the ram on a computer is not functioning properly?

Answer 6

You will get the blue screen of death, or the system will not boot up, [check the video if there are more symptoms]

Question 7

How do you check for errors on ram?

Answer 7

If you are using a version of windows earlier than windows seven, then you need to use a program called MEMTEST86 -You need to boot the computer from this program on an optical disc or USB drive. If your system is running windows seven or later, then you can use a utility in the control panel called “Windows memory diagnostic”. (The system will need to reboot before running this utility.)

Question 8

What does SDRAM stand for and why is it called by this name?

Answer 8

Synchronous DRAM, Because it is synchronized to the system clock.

Question 9

What makes SDRAM unique?

Answer 9

It has a 168 pin DIMM (dual in-line memory module) and it has two notches at the bottom (where the connectors are) unlike most RAM which has one notch at the bottom. Dual in-line memory module refers to the fact that there are connectors on both sides of the ram chip and the connectors on one side have a different job than the connectors on the other side.

Question 10

Is SDRAM an older or newer technology? Explain

Answer 10

SDRAM supplanted many of the older ram technologies of our forefathers. It is not found on computers so much these days (unless the computer is 90’s era). You can still be found in some strange places such as oil field logging trucks, printers, etc.

Question 11

What type of ram was becoming popular around the time that Intel and other companies developed speed ratings for ram? What was the reason for developing the speed ratings?

Answer 11

At the time of SDRAM in the 90s. The reason for developing the speed ratings was because people would need to buy ram that was the same speed as their mother board.

Question 12

When speed ratings were first being developed for ram, if your motherboard ran at 66 MHz, what would be the speed rating be for the appropriate RAM to work with that motherboard?

Answer 12

PC66

Question 13

What does DDRSDRAM stand for and why was it developed?

Answer 13

Double (or dual) data rate SDRAM. People wanted ram that was faster than SDRAM. Why should speed be limited to the speed of the motherboard? So they developed double data rate SDRAM. This takes the motherboard speed and doubles it, so the DDRSDRAM runs at twice the speed of the motherboard it is installed on. So for every one clock on the system clock, you got 2 clocks on the ram clock.

Question 14

What makes DDRSDRAM unique?

Answer 14

It is a 184 pin DIMM package. Unlike SDRAM, DDRSDRAM has only one notch at the bottom.

Question 15

How do you calculate speed ratings for DDRSDRAM?

Answer 15

You take the motherboard speed (e.g. 100 MHz) and multiplied by two to get the DDR speed (e.g. 200 MHz). And then to get the speed rating, You multiply by eight, so the speed rating for DDRSDRAM running on a 100 MHz motherboard would be PC 1600 (200×8).

Question 16

How can you easily tell the difference between SDRAM and DDRSDRAM based on the speed ratings for each?

Answer 16

SDRAM usually has PC speed ratings in the two and three digit range, whereas DDRSDRAM will always have a four digit PC speed rating.

Question 17

What makes DDR2 unique?

Answer 17

It is a 240 pin DIMM package. The notch at the bottom is in a slightly different place than regular DDR SDRAM (It is slightly farther to the left) so you cannot insert one type of RAM in place of the other.

Question 18

How do you calculate speed ratings for DDR2?

Answer 18

DDR2 takes the DDR speed and doubles it. So if the motherboard was running at 100 MHz, and the DDR speed on that motherboard his 200 MHz, then the DDR2 speed will be 400 MHz. (On the stick of memory itself you will see printed “DDR2 400”). Now to get the PC speed, you multiply by eight. So the PC speed rating is, in this example, PC2 3200. PC ratings for DDR2 are always written “PC2”.

Question 19

What makes DDR3 unique?

Answer 19

Like DDR2, DDR3 is a 240 pin DIMM package. Like DDR and DDR2, DDR3 has a single notch at the bottom, however the notch is significantly farther to the left when compared with the DDR and DDR2 memory sticks.

Question 20

How do you calculate speed ratings for DDR3?

Answer 20

DDR3 quadruples the bus. So if your motherboard is 100 MHz, you multiply by four to get your quadrupled speed, 400 MHz. Then to get your DDR3 speed, you double that for a speed of DDR3 800. To get the PC speed, you multiply the DDR3 speed by eight. In this case it will be PC3 6400. (Note: PC speeds for DDR3 a written “PC3”)

Question 21

What are the characteristics of RAMBUS RAM?

Answer 21

RAMBUS RAM is mostly an old and obsolete technology, however it is covered on the A+ exam. It was used for a brief period in history, not nearly as long as SDRAM. It came out around the time that SDRAM had been in use for a while.